MIT Alum Clears the Air about High Frequency Trading
While the national media has focused much attention on the field of high-frequency trading (HFT), there continues to be a great amount of confusion surrounding the practice. Indeed <i>The Tech</i> recently ran a <i>New York Times</i> article erroneously headlined “SEC Seeks To Ban High-Frequency Trading,” which was quickly corrected to “SEC Seeks To Ban Flash Orders.” As a recent MIT graduate working for Jump Trading, a major player in the HFT world, I wish to share my first-hand exposure to the industry and clear the air surrounding some of the claims the media has brought up. In this article I discuss what high frequency trading is, the role of flash orders, and the false perception that HFT firms have an unfair advantage over the rest of the market.